BENGALURU: With a clean slate (9-0) from the league phase, India will carry the momentum of the 160-run win against the Netherlands into the semifinals against New Zealand slated for Wednesday.
On the challenge ahead, India's fielding coach T Dilip said, "We have won nine matches, and we have the momentum. We defeated New Zealand at Dharamshala, and we take that as a positive and as for the semifinal, we will deal with it on game-day."
For the first time in the competition, with nothing to lose, India tried out nine bowlers with Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper KL Rahul being the only two who didn't roll their arms over. If one thought the Indians were having some fun in an inconsequential match, the team's thought process is contrasting. "It was all about getting them into rhythm. All of the players have been bowling in the nets. We also wanted to try them out and give them some practice. So, they're rolling their arms in a match so that you never know in an important match, so they are ready for it."
DUTCH GO BACK RICHER
Netherlands ended their campaign with two wins and won hearts with their never-say-die attitude. Their seasoned all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe, who was the most economical bowler for the side, speaking about the team's journey said, "We came here and understood the challenge of this World Cup against high-quality teams. I think we did carry ourselves well. Obviously, there's so much improvement that still needs to happen. But the boys stuck to it, and we've got to look to the next tournament whenever that is and just improve."
Skipper Scott Edwards said, "We played two good games of cricket and gave ourselves opportunities in other games which we'd have liked to win."
